Rose
by Lacey99
Summary: This is the continuance of the story Family time. The story starts with Christmas 2017. The new year brings some changes into the family.
1. Chapter 1

Mac felt a hand on her belly and soon a warm body pulled her closer. She felt a chill as she moved her arm outside the sheet and blanket, and hurried to move it under the sheet again and put her hand over his.

"Merry Christmas," he mumbled into her ear as his hand moved inside her top and caressed her belly. He kissed down her neck and smiled when she turned to him.

"Merry Christmas, handsome," she whispered before she reached for the mints on the nightstand. She took two out of the box and gave him one of them. "Morning breath."

He smiled and put the mint into his mouth.

She got out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. The floor was freezing. She finished and washed her hands before hurrying back to bed. "Come on, Sailor."

Harm pulled her down on the bed, kissing her deeply. Clothes hit the floor and their bodies communicated their own way.

Then the door flew open. "Merry Christmas!"

They froze, both wondering who had forgotten to lock the door the previous night and thanking God that the room was so cold that the sheet was covering them.

"Give us a minute," Harm said.

The door closed. "We almost gave all the kids a show," Mac said.

Harm felt her hands move down his back and pull him closer to her and he forgot about the kids. He wanted to finish what they had started. He moved a little, making her moan and trust against him and then he leaned in and kissed her deeply.

Mac was the first to go downstairs. The kids were seated by the kitchen table having breakfast with Trish and Frank.

"Morning," she said. "Ready to open gifts?"

"Me first!" Matthew jumped up and ran to the living room.

"I'm totally rethinking my gift for you and dad. I should have gotten you a key," Nathan said.

"We have one," Mac responded as she went for the coffee.

"Use it," Mattie, Nathan and Claire said.

Trish and Frank laughed just as Harm joined them. "What?" he asked.

Mac stopped on her way past him. "We need to lock the door," she smiled and kissed him before continuing to the living room.

Harm shrugged. "Just don't come barging in without knocking. Problem solved." He went for the coffee.

"Never surprising you with breakfast again," Claire said and stood.

"It was a nice thought," Harm ruffled her hair.

"You totally messed up my hair, dad," she hurried to straighten it.

Mac walked into the kitchen. "Are you guys coming?" she asked with the eagerness of a child.

"I don't know who's worse, you or Matthew," Trish teased as she stood.

Harm smiled and followed them to the living room. Christmas had gone from his worst holiday to his favorite holiday. He couldn't get into the same Christmas spirit as his wife, but most people couldn't, because she loved it. He sat down beside her and took her hand in his, ready to see the kids go wild with the gifts.

Later in the day Mac and the kids went outside to play in the snow. Trish decided after a little while to join them. After watching in the window, she thought it looked fun. Harm sat down by the kitchen table with Frank. Frank wasn't in his best shape. After his heart surgery age had caught up with him, and the once so energetic man had resigned to his age.

"It was a good idea to spend Christmas here," Frank said as he leaned back and looked out the window. "Looks like fun."

Harm chuckled. "Mac's really just a kid inside."

Frank smiled. "It's nice to see you so happy, son. Ever since you married that amazing woman out there, you've been a changed man. It makes an old man happy."

"It took me long enough to commit, but once I finally did I definitely chose the right woman," Harm smiled than hesitated before he continued. "I know I never told you, but I'm glad my mom found happiness again."

"I know it wasn't easy for you. It wasn't easy for us either, your mom wanted to protect you and I knew I was taking a chance, but we loved each other," Frank said honestly. "Christmas was the hardest for us."

"I know, but you really tried to create something special for us at the same time as you always used the holiday to help those who needed it most. You're a good man, Frank. I've seen you over the years, a successful man, but you never bragged or made a big thing of it, instead you used your time and money to help those less fortunate. I've always tried to live up to that."

"I appreciate you saying this. I've always seen you as my son, Harm. I'm proud of the man you have become, and I thank you for including me into your family. Having four kids call me grandpa has given me so much joy," Frank stood and offered his hand to Harm. "Thank you, son."

Harm stood and took Frank's hand, and to the old man's surprise Harm hugged him. "Thank you, Frank."

That night after dinner Harm and Mac offered to clean the kitchen. The kids went to watch a Christmas movie, and Trish and Frank joined them. Harm looked out the window on the falling snow. It was truly beautiful, and reminded him of so many late nights at the farm as a kid. He always loved it here.

"You look thoughtful?"

He turned to his wife. "Yeah, just a lot of memories. I always loved it here."

"I know," she walked over. "I do too."

He put his hands on her hips and pulled her close. "I love you."

She smiled lovingly. "I love you too," she leaned in and kissed him softly.

Harm ended the kiss when someone entered the kitchen.

"I thought you guys were supposed to clean the kitchen?" Nathan said as he went to the fridge.

Harm held Mac close and smiled. "We are."

Nathan reached for the soda and closed the fridge. "Come watch the movie with us."

"In a minute," Mac released her husband. "I'm making popcorn."

"Sounds good," Nathan smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

"This is nice," Harm reached for a plate and put it in the dishwasher. "I'm glad we decided to come here for Christmas."

"Me too," she put the popcorn in the microwave and turned it on. "Are you okay with not being able to visit the wall?"

"I am," he smiled and closed the dishwasher. "Christmas isn't as hard as it used to be, you know. I guess I've been able to replace the bad memories with good ones. It's a pretty amazing life we have together."

"I agree," she walked over and kissed him, then hugged him close.

On New Year's Day, they drove back to D.C. Nathan had to report to the Academy the next day. Mattie had left two days after Christmas to report back to Bethesda. Then the day after she got a visit from Brian who would stay until New Year's Day. Trish and frank flew back to San Diego the next day, and suddenly everything was quiet and back to normal in the Rabb household.

There were some changes in the new year. Mattie and Brian had decided to go their separate ways. They were both busy with their careers and they agreed that they were just not meant to be.

Claire finally admitted that she had a new boyfriend, and she agreed to invite him to dinner so that her parents could meet him.

"So, you'll be nice?" she asked her father for the tent time.

"I'm always nice," Harm argued as he steered the sauce.

Mac offered an amused look. "Sure you are."

Harm flashed her a charming smile as she walked over to him. "You think I am," he leaned in and kissed her softly.

"And no kissing and inappropriate touching," Claire added with warning.

Harm looked at her innocently. "We don't do that."

"Of course you don't," Claire rolled her eyes.

"You should be glad we love each other. Remember the Clark's and the meltdown at the Owen's summer party?" Harm said.

Claire hesitated. "Okay, fine. I really felt sorry for Rita when her parents did that. But there's a middle way, and the two of you are a little too much on the other end."

Mac smiled as the doorbell rang. "He's here."

Claire looked between her parent's. "And don't embarrass me by telling cute stories."

Mac and Harm shared amused looks as Claire turned to get the door. "She's going to hate us after tonight," Harm said.

Mac chuckled. "Uhu."

A little while later Claire walked into the kitchen followed by a tall teenage boy with blonde hair and dark blue eyes. "Mom, Dad, this is Tim. Tim this is my Mom and my Dad."

"Nice to meet you Tim," Mac said with a sweet smile.

Harm offered his hand. "Nice to meet you Tim."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. and Mrs. Rabb," Tim said politely.

"Just call us Harm and Sarah," Mac said reassuringly. "Please sit down. I'll just go get Matthew."

Harm put the food on the table and joined them just as Mac and Matthew came back. "That's my brother Matthew," Claire said.

"Hi, I'm Tim," Tim said.

"Hi," Matthew sat down. "So Tim, do you like gaming?"

"Not really, I'm more of a reader," Tim said.

"You two will be really happy together," Matthew said.

Mac and Harm shared looks of amusement. "Matthew," Mac warned.

"It's the truth," Matthew said with an innocent shrug.

"What books do you like?" Mac asked Tim.

"Mostly about computers and programing. I do like a good biography though. And I'm into history too," Tim said.

Harm handed the salad to Tim. "So, I take it you're not a typical teenager then."

Tim shrugged. "I find people my age really immature. I have an IQ above average, but my Mom can't afford a private school. We have good teacher's here though so I love the new school. My last school back in New York was pretty awful, so I stopped going. That's why we moved here so my Grandma can help keep an eye on me. I just didn't see a point in going to a school where I knew more about the subjects than my teachers just to get beat up by the next generation gangsters. We lived in a pretty bad neighborhood too."

"Tim is brilliant," Claire said.

"What do your Mom do?" Mac wondered.

"She's a nurse practitioner. It's just been the two of us since my Dad died. He was a marine and he got killed in Afghanistan," Tim explained.

"I'm sorry," Mac said.

"I'm sorry," Harm said too. "I lost my Dad when I was five, so I know how that feels like."

"Mom, Dad, didn't you go to Afghanistan?" Matthew asked.

"We did," Harm confirmed. "When we used to work together."

They talked during the whole dinner, and Harm had to admit that he found it hard to dislike the boy his daughter had brought home.

"You like him," Mac said as they were cleaning up after dinner.

"He seems like a nice boy," Harm said with a smile. "He's the first of her boyfriends I can say that about."

Mac chuckled. "Don't let her know that, she'll dump him right away."

Harm looked questioningly at her. "Why?"

"No teenage girl wants to date someone her father likes," Mac explained.

"Do I want to know why?" Harm asked.

"It's a girl ting," Mac said with laughter just as the phone rang.

Harm smiled. "I'll get that."

Harm was gone a long time, so Mac went to look for him, and found him in their home office. He was just saying goodbye to his Mom when Mac joined him.

"What's up?" Mac questioned when she noticed the serious look on her husband's face.

"Do you remember Mom's sister Rose?" Harm questioned.

"Yeah, we went to her husband's funeral. Two years ago was it?" Mac asked.

Harm nodded. "You remember her daughter Ruth dying in a car crash ten years ago? She left an eighteen-year-old daughter behind. Anna. She came to Uncle Phil's funeral with her daughter Rose, remember?"

"I remember," Mac confirmed.

"Well, Anna died earlier today. She was beaten to death," Harm said.

"That's awful," Mac said.

"The boyfriend is the main suspect," Harm continued. "Rose, the daughter is nine, and she's with Mom and Frank now. There are no relatives who is in a position to take care of her. Aunt Rose is too old. Rose's Dad is unknown, so she doesn't have anyone."

"That's just sad," Mac said. "What will happen to her."

"She can stay with Mom and Frank until something more permanent can be arranged. As my Mom pointed out that means a foster home," Harm moved his chair closer to Mac's. "Mom asked us to take on Rose."

Mac hesitated. "And you said?"

"That I had to discuss it with you," he took her hand.

Mac studied her husband's face. "You want to do this," she stated.

"I'm not sure I can say no," Harm admitted. "Rose is family, even though I don't know her very well, or knew her Mom very well. But I knew Ruth, and I'm close with Aunt Rose. The thought of her going to stay with strangers is a little heartbreaking. We have room, and we have the resources."

Mac squeezed his hand. "I agree."

"Mac, if you're not sure…"

Mac stopped him with a kiss. "We have to do this. As you said, she's family."

Harm smiled. "You are amazing."


	2. Chapter 2

Sunday January 8th

Harm led Mac through the airport, they were both thoughtful after the phone call they had gotten late last night. There was a rental car waiting on them and soon they were on their way towards La Jolla.

"Oh Harm, I'm so grateful that you are here," Trish hugged her son. "You too Sarah, " she hugged her daughter in law too. "What a day."

"How's it going Mom?" Harm asked.

"Come in," Trish led them through the house. "Rose is upstairs in the room I prepared for her."

"How is she?" Mac asked.

"She doesn't say much," Trish looked worried.

"She's been through a lot," Mac said and put a reassuring hand on her mother in law's arm. "Why don't you sit down. "

"Where's Frank?" Harm wondered.

"Out for a walk, " Trish said and sat down.

Harm sat too. "When's the funeral?" he wondered.

"They haven't released the body yet," Trish said.

"It could take some time, depending on the investigation," Harm explained. "I'll look into it."

"I'm sure your Aunt Rose would be grateful. She's very upset as you can imagine. Anna was her only grandchild, her only connection left to her daughter. Except from Rose of course. Poor girl," Trish wiped away a tear. "What person would beat someone to death?"

Mac sat down beside Trish. "We need to focus on Rose. Her mother just died, her stepfather is in prison, she'll need a lot from us."

"Of course," Trish agreed.

"When will the lady from CPS be here?" Harm asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Trish said and hesitated. "I hope everything is okay with the process of you becoming Rose's guardian?"

"I talked to her before we left and we're the closest family members who is in a position to take care of her, so the meeting is just a technicality. She just needs to know that we have a plan," Harm said.

"Do you have a plan?" Trish wondered.

"Mac already talked to Matthew's school, Rose can start next week. We haven't had time to prepare a room for her, but she can help decide how she wants it. We probably need to shop for clothes and other things she needs for school. From what you've told us, she doesn't have much," Harm looked questioningly at his Mom.

"I took her shopping for clothes and shoes this morning. What she had was too small. The apartment they lived in was a dump, I cringed when I entered it, and it wasn't because of the blood on the floor. Thankfully Rose didn't come home to find her mother dead," Trish said.

"It was a neighbor who reported the noise, wasn't it?" Mac asked.

"Yes, and by the time the police arrived Anna was dead. They found her boyfriend drinking in a bar a few blocks away, wearing bloody clothes. My sister said that he wasn't a nice man, but she'd never guess that he would hurt Anna. I'm glad Rose wasn't home when he went crazy," Trish took a calming breath. "Anna hasn't been a big part of our lives, mostly because of the way she decided to live her life. But I really thought she had cleaned up and gotten her act together, for Rose. That's the impression my sister gave me anyway."

"Sometimes the family is the last to know," Mac said and started to stand. "I'll go check on Rose. I doubt she remembers me. I haven't seen her in about two years."

"Not since my sister's husband passed away. Anna and Rose came to his funeral," Trish remembered.

"I'll come with you," Harm said and stood too.

Mac peaked inside the room. The nine-year-old was busy coloring, her bright blue eyes looked troubled and her dark brown hair kept falling in her face and she'd move it behind her ear. Mac knocked softly on the doorframe and Rose's head whipped up and looked at her.

"Hi, Rose," Mac said and stepped into the room, Harm following behind. "I don't know if you remember us?"

Rose nodded. "I do."

Mac smiled. "How are you, sweetheart?"

The girl shrugged and turned back to her drawing.

Mac walked over. "That's a nice drawing."

"I guess," Rose said and put her pencil down. "Am I going to live with you now?"

Mac crotched down to her lever. "Harm and I would like that very much."

"I like it here," Rose said.

"I know you do. I like it here too," Mac smiled. "Trish and Frank are the best. We feel very lucky to have them in our lives. And they come to visit us a lot, or we travel here to see them."

"Okay," Rose looked hesitant. "When can I see my Mom?"

"Do you know what happened to your Mom?" Mac asked.

"My stepdad killed her," Rose said.

"He did. And when someone is killed there's a special doctor who must look at the person to figure out how they died. Your Mom is with that Doctor now. Harm," Mac motioned to her husband who was still by the door. "..will make some phone calls and figure out when your Mom can be buried, and then we can find out if you can see her. We don't know how she looks now, sometimes people who have died doesn't look so nice and then it's better to remember them as they were when they were alive."

Rose nodded. "My stepdad wasn't a nice man."

"I know honey. I'm sorry about that," Mac took Rose's hand. "He's in prison now and he won't get out in a long time, maybe never. He can't hurt anyone where he is now."

"Do you promise?" Rose asked.

"I promise," Mac reassured. "I'm getting hungry and it's dinnertime. Do you want to help me make dinner?"

Rose nodded. "Okay."

Mac stood and waited for the girl to stand. "Maybe Harm can help too."

"I can do that," Harm said.

They left the room, and Harm took Mac's hand and whispered in her ear; "You're amazing."

Wednesday January 11th

It was three days later when they traveled back to D.C with Rose. It had been a roller-coaster ride of emotions since they arrived in San Diego. They realized quickly that they had a long road ahead of them. Rose had nightmares, waking up screaming every night. She was skeptical towards Harm, and clung to Mac or Trish all the time, scared to be alone, scared that they would leave her.

"This is our house," Mac said as Harm drove the car up their driveway and parked. She got out and opened the door for Rose. The girl didn't say anything, she just got out and stared at the ground. Mac took her hand and led her to the front door. Harm followed behind with their things.

"Welcome home!" Nathan, Matthew, Claire and Mattie were gathered in the living room. They had made a banner that said; "Welcome home, Rose."

Mac hurried to hug them. "It's so good to see you all here," she said as she hugged her youngest. She released him and moved over to Rose.

Harm greeted his kids too, and when he had they all turned to Rose.

"Everyone, this is Rose. Rose, this is Nathan, Claire, Mattie and Matthew," Mac said.

They all came over to say hello to Rose, and Rose hurried to hide behind Mac.

"She's a little shy yet," Mac crouched down and smiled to Rose. "And that's okay sweetheart. You'll get to know everyone soon."

"We have a surprise," Nathan said.

"Come on," Mattie said and motioned to move upstairs.

They all followed her upstairs, and she led them to Nathan's room. "We made some changes," she said.

They all moved into the room. "I painted," Nathan said and smiled. "I hope you like the color?"

Rose's eyes were huge as she looked around the room.

"We bought you a new bed, and some furniture," Mattie smiled. "Well, you actually did that, Dad."

Harm laughed softly. "I bet I did."

"We weren't sure what books and toys you liked, but we went to the attic and brought down some of my old things," Claire said.

"And we all chipped in on a brand-new iPad for you, as a welcome home gift. Because everyone should have an iPad," Matthew said and smiled cleverly.

Rose looked at Mac. "This is my room?"

Mac nodded. "It is."

Rose looked like she couldn't believe it. "It's so big."

"And if you hate the color, I'll repaint it for you," Nathan said.

Rose finally smiled. "I like it," she said shyly.

"You guys are the best," Mac told her kids. "Thank you so much."

"We just want Rose to feel like home," Claire said.

"I better check on dinner," Mattie said and hurried past them.

"Why don't we let Rose look around," Mac suggested.

Matthew, Nathan, Claire and Harm left the room. Mac put her hand on Rose's shoulder. "I hope you'll like it here, Rose. Look around, and then come downstairs, okay? I'll show you around the house after we've had dinner. Your bathroom is right across the hall. You share it with Matthew and Claire."

Rose nodded. "Sarah, is this room really mine?"

"It really is yours," Mac confirmed.

"My last room was tiny with no windows. I think it was supposed to be for storage," Rose said.

"Well, now you have a window," Mac smiled and turned to leave. "I hope you'll feel like home here, Rose. Come join us downstairs soon."

Nathan had to drive back to the Academy after dinner. He promised to come by during the weekend. Mattie had to leave too, because she was on duty.

"Mom, may I show Rose some cool stuff with the iPad before we go to bed?" Matthew asked.

"Sure, honey," Mac said.

"I never used an iPad before," Rose said.

"You'll love it," Matthew promised. "Come on."

"Do you mind keeping an eye on them?" Mac asked Claire.

"No problem," Claire smiled.

Mac finished cleaning the kitchen after dinner. Harm joined her when he finished talking on the phone with his Mom.

"Mom says hi," he said as he walked over to her. "Where's the kids?"

"Matthew wanted to show Rose how to use the iPad," Mac leaned on the counter and crossed her arms. "It's been an interesting week so far."

Harm nodded. "I need to get back to the office tomorrow. How about you?"

"I was thinking about taking Rose to shop for what she'll need for school, and maybe some more clothes. The weather is colder here, and she'll need warmer clothes than what your Mom bought her. We can drop by work with lunch?" she suggested.

"I'd like that," he reached for her hand and pulled her into his arms. "This wasn't part of our plan."

"No, it wasn't," she relaxed against him. "I think we're doing the right thing though."

"We are," he assured her. "Thank you for backing me up in the decision to take her on. I know it was a lot to ask."

"We're a team," she leaned back and looked into his eyes. "And we have a lot to give. I think this family is exactly what Rose needs."

"I agree," he leaned in and kissed her softly. "I love you, Sarah."

"I love you too, Harm. For ever and always," she added and hugged him close.


	3. Chapter 3

Friday January 13th

Mac paid and took the bag. She turned and found Rose waiting on her. The girl had been hesitant to say what clothes she liked to wear, but eventually she had started picking out what she liked.

"Next on our list is gym clothes, or you want to buy shoes first?" Mac asked.

"You decide," Rose said shyly.

Mac crouched down to her level. "You don't like shopping?"

"I never have before. Mom used to get the clothes our neighbors kids grew out of," Rose said hesitantly. "I've never had anyone buy me anything, except from grandma."

"Well, you need clothes, right?" Mac touched her cheek lightly.

Rose nodded. "Thank you."

Mac stood. "Come on, let's finish up and go have lunch with Harm. You get to see where we work too."

Mac opened the door and let Rose walk in before her.

"This is our office," Mac said as their assistant Nina walked up to them. "This is Nina."

"You must be Rose. Nice to meet you," Nina said. "Sarah, Mrs. Flynn have been calling for you."

"It's about the divorce settlement," Mac said.

"I told her you would be back on Monday and would call her then," Nina added.

"Great, thank you," Mac smiled.

She took Rose to the break room and found her husband, Bud, Harriet and Jenn. Harm stood to greet them. Hi," he kissed her softly. "Hi, Rose. How was shopping?"

"Okay," she said shyly.

"Rose, this is Bud. Harriet. And Jennifer," Mac introduced them.

"It's nice to meet you Rose," Harriet said.

"We look forward to getting to know you better," Jenn said.

Sensing that Rose was a bit overwhelmed Mac decided that eating in her office would be better. There was plenty of time later to get to know everyone. "We can go have lunch in my office."

Harm smiled. "What did you bring?"

"Chinese," Mac turned to the others. "I'll be back on Monday."

They went to Mac's office and had lunch. Harm tried to interact as much as possible with Rose, and the girl seemed to ease up a little around him.

"This was nice, but I have to get back to work," Harm stood. "I'll be home around 1700."

"Matthew has hockey tomorrow, we have to be there by 0900," Mac reminded him as she too stood.

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled and leaned in and kissed her. "See you later. Bye Rose."

"Bye," Rose said.

"Let's go home," Mac said.

After dinner that night Harm waited for the kids to leave the kitchen before he asked how it was going with Rose.

"She's quiet," Mac said with a shrug.

"What do you think about the nightmares she has?" he wondered.

"God knows what she has been through," Mac shrugged. "It could be related to her losing her Mom, or it's something else."

"Abuse?" Harm asked.

"I used to have bad nightmares when I was a little girl," she said hesitantly. "Her stepfather probably didn't wake up one day and decided to beat his girlfriend to death. He most likely had anger problems long before he became a killer. I'm not saying that he hurt Rose, but if he used to beat Anna I'm sure Rose was scared to be around him. The thing is Harm, I know exactly how she feels."

Harm pulled her in for a hug. "We better make sure she knows that she's safe with us."

Mac nodded against his shoulder and held him close. "She's in the right place."

Later that night after saying good night to Matthew and Rose, Harm found his wife on the couch with a book. He sat down beside her.

"Are we sure that Claire should be allowed to have Tim in her room with a closed door?"

Mac glanced over her book. "She's sixteen."

"So?" Harm questioned.

Mac smiled. "She's old enough to have some privacy."

"But…"

"Will you let it go," she said with laughter. "She's growing up and she doesn't want her parent's looking over her shoulder all the time."

Harm hesitated. "But she isn't… You know…"

"No, she isn't," Mac reassured. "Besides, Tim seems like a nice guy."

"I was a nice guy too when I was sixteen, doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about having sex," he said.

"She's a sensible girl, besides if she suddenly finds out that she's ready she's protected and she know all about how to avoid pregnancy and diseases. You just be glad that she isn't like me as a teenager," Mac said as she turned back to her book.

"How can you be so calm about this?" he wondered.

Mac chuckled. "Because we raised her to make good decisions. The point is that she must make her own decisions. At least we know her first time won't be in the back of a car after drinking all night. I trust her."

"I do too," he said after thinking about it.

"Good," she nudged his thigh with her foot.

"Do you think he knows about safe sex?" he asked.

Mac offered a resigned look. "His Mom is a nurse."

"That's right," he relaxed a little. "Okay, then."

Mac put the book down. "Relax, we did our job, now it's up to her to find her own way. She knows that we're here if she needs us."

He nodded. "I know," he moved over her. "You're right."

She smiled and ran her hand through his hair. "I love it when you say that."

He laughed softly and kissed her deeply. "Mmm, you taste good."

"I ate some strawberry candy," she admitted and giggled when he started kissing down her neck and found her ticklish place.

He moved his hands under her shirt and his moth found hers.

"Mom! Dad!

They broke apart and Harm sat up, while Mac straightened her shirt. "Hi, honey," Harm said.

"Seriously!" Claire walked past them with Tim behind her blushing, and disappeared out into the hallway.

Claire came back alone. "I can't believe you two," she said as she stormed past them.

"Good night," Harm said.

"I'll go talk to her," Mac patted Harm's thigh and smiled cleverly as she stood. "Meet me in the bedroom?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harm said and winked at her.

Mac knocked on Claire's door and waited for her to open.

"What?" Claire asked.

"Just wanted to make sure that you were fine," Mac said.

"I'm fine, but it's kinda embarrassing to have your parent's going at it on the couch," Claire's tone was annoyed.

"Well, we weren't exactly going at it, but I do see your point," Mac said and smiled. "It's normal for teenagers to be embarrassed by their parent's though."

"Tell me about it," Claire rolled her eyes and opened the door wide to let her Mom enter. "Mom, I think I really like Tim. He's so smart and funny."

Mac joined her daughter on the bed. "That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I guess. I just don't want any distractions. We were just supposed to be friends," Claire let out a sigh. "But tonight, we kissed."

Mac nodded. "Are you boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

"We haven't talked about it," Claire admitted. "I don't know if he likes me like that."

"Just ask him how he feels," Mac suggested just as they heard crying from Rose's room. "I better check on Rose."

"She's really scared, isn't she Mom?" Claire looked worried.

Mac hugged her daughter. "She is," she stood and headed for the door.

"It's a good thing that she has great parent's then," Claire said.

Mac turned and smiled. "Thanks sweetheart."

"Thank you," Claire said.

Mac hurried over to Rose's room and found the girl sitting up in bed crying. "Hi sweetheart."

"I got really scared," Rose said between sobs.

Mac sat down on the bed and took her hand. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"I just thought that Owen was here, and my Mom was in the kitchen making dinner, and then he was angry and…" Rose started sobbing and Mac pulled her into her arms.

"Shhhh, it was just a dream. No one will hurt you here. I promise you," Mac ran her hand up and down Rose's back and let her cry.

Once Rose calmed down Mac pulled back. "Rose, did Owen ever hurt you?"

Rose shook her head. "My Mom locked me into my room when he was angry," Rose wiped her eyes. "I heard my Mom cry and beg him to calm down."

"Did he hurt your Mom?" Mac asked.

Rose nodded. "I should have been stronger and helped her. Maybe she would still be here."

Mac's heart broke. "Oh, sweetheart, you couldn't have done anything to change what happened. You're just a little girl. It wasn't your responsibility."

Mac stayed with Rose until she fell asleep again, then she looked in on Matthew before she headed for the master bedroom. Harm was undressing for bed and turned when she walked in.

"Claire just had a strict conversation with me about keeping my hands to myself when in public places. She forgave me for embarrassing her though," he teased. He sobered up when he noticed his wife's expression. "Is everything okay with Rose?" he asked.

Mac hesitated, then nodded her head before tears ran down her face. "I…" she took a cleansing breath.

"Oh, honey," Harm walked over and gathered her in his arms. "Hey, it's okay, just let it out."


	4. Chapter 4

Saturday January 14th

Harm had breakfast on the table by the time Mac walked into the kitchen. The previous night had been emotional for her, but when she fell asleep in Harm's arms she had slept soundly through the night. Talking to Rose had brought up so much from her own childhood, but after she had emptied her heart to her husband she felt so much better. It was strange how things she had forgotten about had come up again and taken her back to the old house she used to live in as a child.

"Good morning," she said as she went for the coffee pot.

"Morning. Are you coming to watch my game, Mom?" Matthew asked.

Mac filled her cup. "Absolutely," she walked over and sat down beside her husband.

Harm put his paper down and leaned in and kissed her softly. "Morning."

"I have plans with my friends, and then I'm meeting Tim. I'm invited for dinner at his place," Claire said.

"Will his Mom be there?" Harm wondered.

"Yes, we're making dinner for when she gets home from work," Claire rolled her eyes.

"When will you be home?" Mac wondered.

"We're watching a movie, so when that's finished," Claire responded with an exasperated look in her father's direction.

"Be home by 2330," Mac said with amusement.

"I will," Claire promised.

"What do you want to do today, Rose?" Mac wondered.

Rose looked around the table. "I don't know."

"After we're done at the ice rank, we can do something fun," Harm suggested.

"We have to pick up some more things for Rose," Mac reminded him. "She needs a backpack and a few more things."

"That remind me," Harm said and put the paper down. "Mom called to let me know that your grandma is allowed into the apartment, and she wondered if there was something you wanted?"

Rose nodded. "Mr. Bear."

"Does grandma know how Mr. Bear looks like?" Harm wondered.

Rose nodded again. "And I would like to have the red and blue photo album."

Harm reached for his phone. "I'll let Mom know," he said and started texting her. "Anything else? Clothes or toys?"

Rose shook her head. "My clothes were too small and I don't have anything else I want."

"If you remember something you can let us know by tomorrow. Your grandma has hired someone to clean up the place so that the landlord can find new tenants," Harm explained.

"There's nothing," Rose started to stand. "Can I be excused, please?"

"May I be excused," Mac said and smiled. "Sure. Be ready to go in fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Okay," Rose said and walked out of the kitchen.

"I have to find my stuff," Matthew stood, then turned to his Mom. "Where might that be?" he flashed her the identical smile of his father.

"You Rabb men sure know when to use that smile," she teased. "It's ready in your bag in the laundry room."

"Thanks Mom," Matthew said and was about to leave. "May I be excused?"

"Sure," Mac said.

Harm chuckled. "Admit it, that smile is hard to say no to."

"I have years of training," Mac teased.

"I better get going," Claire stood.

"Send me a text when you're safe at Tim's place," Mac said.

"I will do that," Claire smiled and walked over and hugged her mother, then her father. "Don't worry Dad, I'll be good."

"I'm not worried about you, it's the hormone you're dating I'm worried about," Harm said.

"He's a good guy, Dad. Besides, his Mom has more rules for him than you guys have for me," she said as she turned to leave. "Ruze xubi dâšte bâšid.

"Khoda hafez," Mac said.

Harm turned his focus on his wife. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," she shrugged. "Just needed to get out some emotions I guess. Thank you."

"Any time," he took her hand. "That's why I'm here."

Monday January 16th

Rose's first day of school went well. She had barely slept the night before, and she'd woken up twice with nightmares. Mac noticed that she hardly ate breakfast, and she didn't say much. Harm and Mac were impressed by their son. Matthew had been the best big brother when they got to school. He'd introduced Rose to his friends as his sister, and they could see the surprise in Rose's face, then her smile. After meeting with the principal, being showed around school, meeting her teachers and classmates, Mac and Harm decided that it was time for them to go.

When they went to pick the kids up from school Rose met them with a big smile, and Mac noticed that she said goodbye to two girls before walking over to them. Matthew had been playing basketball with his friends and reluctantly took his knapsack and walked over.

"How did it go, Rose?" Mac asked.

"It was okay. I really like Miss Delgado," Rose said with a shy smile.

"That's great, Rose," Harm said as they walked to the car.

"I got to know Tina and Sandra and Tina invited me over this weekend," Rose said.

"That sounds like fun," Mac said as they reached the car. "How was your day Matthew?"

"The same as always," Matthew shrugged as he opened the car door and got in.

Rose got in as well. "I like this school."

"That's wonderful to hear, Rose," Mac smiled as she too got into the car. Harm reached over and took her hand, squeezing it lightly. Another milestone had been passed. They shared a knowing smile and Harm let go of her hand and started the car.

Harm knocked on Matthew's bedroom door and peaked inside.

"Hey, Dad," Matthew looked up from the book he was reading. "I'm turning the light off in just a minute. I have to finish this chapter."

Harm smiled. "Good book?"

"Yup," Matthew confirmed.

"Listen," Harm walked over and sat down on the bed. "I wanted to let you know how proud of you I am. What you did today, for Rose, it meant a lot to her. She told your Mom that you introduced her as your sister."

Matthew shrugged. "Well, she kinda is my sister. I mean, not really, but Nathan, Claire and Mattie aren't really my siblings either, but they are, right? So, I figured Rose is too."

"They are your siblings," Harm ruffled his son's hair.

"Dad?" Matthew looked wondering. "Why did you and Mom decide to have so many kids?"

"Well, it wasn't planned really. Mattie was my ward before Mom and I decided to get married, and when her Dad couldn't take care of her we wanted to. When we found out we were expecting you, we didn't think about adoption, but then Nathan and Claire lost their Dad and they didn't have anyone else who could take care of them so we decided to make room for them too. It was never a problem to love all of you," Harm smiled warmly. "We have made a pretty good life together your Mom and me."

Matthew nodded. "I think so too."

Harm pulled his son in for a hug. "I love you, buddy."

"I love you too, Dad," Matthew said.

Harm released him and stood. "Mom will be up in a minute to say goodnight. She just had some laundry to do."

"Maybe you could talk to her about calling me baby," Matthew said with a slight eye roll. "I'm no baby."

Harm laughed softly. "You'll always be her baby."

"Even when I'm as old as you?" Matthew asked.

"Even then," Harm confirmed and winked at him before leaving his room.

"Dad?"

Harm turned to Claire's room and saw her standing in the doorway. "What's up sweetheart?"

"Can I go to a party on Friday?" she wondered.

"Where?" Harm questioned.

"A boy in my class. Tony. His Dad drives that Van with the naked lady on," Claire explained and hesitated. "I guess I didn't sell that huh?"

"No way, that guy is not running with the best crowd. Why would you want to go to a party like that?" Harm wondered.

"Because everyone is going. I'm not going to drink, and Tim will be there," Claire reasoned.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," Harm said firmly.

"Figures," Claire slumped her shoulders and turned to head back into her room.

"Young lady, that's not the way to talk to your father," Harm followed her. "How serious are you and Tim anyway?"

"We're just friends for now," Claire said with a shrug.

"Your Mom thinks that we should trust you, and I agree, but for us to do that you have to play your part," Harm explained. "You're sixteen and you're turning into a young adult, you need to find your own way, but don't hurry too much to grow up."

"Don't worry Dad, I have it under control. I won't let a guy mess up my plans, no matter how brilliant he is. And you should really meet Tim's Mom, she's ten times stricter than you are. She won't let us be in his room without the door open," Claire said.

Harm smiled. "She's my kind of parent. I wouldn't have let you either, but your Mom, she's a hard woman to argue with."

Claire nodded knowingly. "Don't I know it."

"The point is that she trusts you, but you break her trust there'll be hell to pay," Harm warned.

"Oh yes, I know," Claire raised her eyes and nodded.

Harm smiled. "So, we have an understanding?"

"No party, yes I understand," Claire smiled. "Thanks for watching out for me, even though you really can be annoying sometimes."

Harm laughed softly. "It's all part of the job."

"What's part of the job?"

Harm turned and faces his wife. "Being annoying."

"Dad won't let me go to a party this weekend," Claire said.

"It's Tony in her class. His Dad drives that Van with the naked lady on," Harm said.

"I agree with Dad," Mac said and smiled. "Good call, honey."

"I feel so ganged up on," Claire smiled. "I better finish my English paper and go to sleep."

Mac hugged her daughter. "Good night, sweetie."

Harm hugged her too then followed Mac out of the room. "Matthew said to tell you to stop calling him baby."

Mac smiled as she headed for her son's room. He would always be her baby.


	5. Chapter 5

Monday January 16th

Harm looked out the window as he hung up the phone and let out a sigh. The snow was falling heavily again. He stood just as his wife walked into his office.

"Hi, I was just coming to see you," he said.

"Yeah, thinking about lunch?" she asked.

"That too, but also because I talked to the State Prosecutor about Rose testifying. Since the stepfather confessed, she doesn't need Rose to testify to his abuse of Anna. The technical evidence alone will make sure he's put away for a very long time," Harm said.

"That's great news," Mac was relived. She had been worried about traumatizing the girl further by having to testify in court.

Harm moved around his desk and moved closer to her. "It is."

She put her hand out and touched his arm in a sweet gesture. "I have time for lunch now. You?"

"Me too," he hesitated. "It's really coming down out there."

"We could have something delivered," she suggested.

"That sounds like a plan," he leaned in and kissed her softly. "Sit down and let me order. Salad from Wendy's?"

"Sounds perfect," she agreed.

Later in the day Mac knocked on Rose's bedroom door. "Hi sweetheart. There's a delivery for you."

"For me?" the girl was surprised.

"From grandma Rose," Mac put the box on the bed.

Rose walked over and Mac helped her open the box. "I'll leave you to it," she smiled.

"Thank you, Sarah," Rose said as she reached for an album.

Mac headed downstairs to get started on dinner when she found her oldest daughter walking in from the hallway. "Mattie?"

"Hi, Mom. I thought I'd see if there was anything good for dinner?" Mattie smiled and hugged her Mom.

"How's it going?" Mac asked.

"Busy, but that's okay," she shrugged.

Mac turned towards the kitchen. "You can help with dinner, and tell me how you're really feeling."

Mattie smiled. "I can do that. I've been packing up the rest of Brian's things."

They headed for the kitchen. "Not so fun huh?" Mac asked.

"Not really. I mean, we agreed to end things, and it was the right decision, but I do miss him," Mattie admitted. "He was a good boyfriend."

Mac put her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "You'll be okay. Just give it time."

"Yeah," Mattie smiled. "So, what are we making?"

"Pasta," Mac turned when her husband walked into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" he hugged Mattie. "You never returned my call."

"That's why I'm here, to apologize for forgetting to return the call," she teased.

"And to have a decent meal?" he suggested.

"And that too," she admitted.

"Is Claire home yet?" Harm wondered.

"Nope, just called to say that she's on her way. They have really been struggling with this history project. I think Claire thinks that Vera is a little lazy," Mac said with a chuckle.

"Did anyone take the time to explain to Claire that not everyone can keep up with her speed?" Mattie asked.

Harm laughed softly. "I think we all have at one point."

"Are you two going to help?" Mac asked.

"I'm on it," Mattie said.

Harm kissed Mac's cheek. "Since you have a helper, I'm spending some time in the office."

"You can do the cleaning," Mac teased.

"Anything for you Sweet Thing," he said as he turned to leave.

Mattie smiled. "You two are just adorable," she teased.

"Thanks," Mac smiled. "So, how are you really feeling?"

Mattie hesitated. "It comes in waves. What I don't know is if I miss Brian, or if I miss not having someone. I like Brian, but I'm not sure that he was the one. He wanted to get married, but I wanted to focus on my career, and in the end, he admitted that he was more interested in someone who would let him focus on his career. I couldn't be that person for him."

"Sounds like the two of you made a good choice," Mac agreed. "You know, I almost married someone once, I loved him, but not enough to marry him. In the end he knew that, and he was right when he called off the wedding."

Mattie nodded. "I guess what I really want is someone that has room for both me and my career. A partner and best friend. Like you and Dad. You have both managed to have great careers, and a family. That's what I want."

Mac smiled warmly. "You know, there was a time when Harm and I wasn't the poster couple for a healthy relationship."

Mattie nodded. "Oh yeah, I remember. But even back then, you would support each other no matter what."

"I guess you're right," Mac agreed.

"So, how is Claire and that Tim guy doing?" Mattie wondered.

"Well, she says that they are just friends, but I think that she likes him," Mac hesitated. "He seems like a nice boy, but I hope she doesn't rush into anything."

"She won't," Mattie said with conviction. "We had a long big sister to little sister talk."

Mac smiled. "I'm glad she has a big sister she can talk to."

"It's nice to have her confide in me," Mattie admitted. "Did she ever go to that party this weekend?"

"No, she wasn't allowed. The funny thing is that Tim's Mom said no too, so they ended up staying here watching a movie," Mac smiled.

"I bet Dad is happy she's dating someone with a strict parent?" Mattie said with laughter.

Mac chuckled. "Oh yeah, he's happy, and so am I."

Harm walked by Rose's room and saw the girl looking through an album. He knocked. "Did you get the box from grandma Rose?"

Rose nodded. "I did. She even sent some candy, and look, new shoes."

"That's nice, but no candy on a weekday," Harm reminded her.

"Okay," Rose said and turned the page of the album. "My Mom and me."

Harm looked at the picture she was pointing at. "That's a nice picture. You were a cute baby," Harm smiled. "You miss her."

"I do," Rose hesitated. "I mean, I like it here…"

"I know you do, but it's okay to miss your Mom. I'm happy with my life, but I still miss my Dad," Harm said reassuringly. "Your Mom will always be with you in your heart."

Rose wiped away a tear. "I just wish she would still be here."

Harm put his hand on Rose's shoulder. "I know." He sat down on the bed beside her. "It's okay to grieve." He was surprised when Rose suddenly hugged him close and cried. He put his arms around her. "It's okay, just let it out."

Wednesday January 18th

Harm felt silly walking down the school hallway with a bright pink bag. The things you do for your kids, he thought as he found the right classroom and knocked. He got the bag delivered to Rose and said goodbye before heading back outside. He had a meeting in thirty minutes and he didn't want to be late.

"Mr. Rabb?"

He turned and found the school's principal Mrs. Flynn hurrying after him.

"Mrs. Flynn," he said.

"You are a fast walker, Mr. Rabb. I'm glad I managed to talk to you," Mrs. Flynn said.

"Is everything okay with Rose?" Harm asked with worry.

"Oh yes, she's doing fine. Your son Matthew sure helped her get settled last week. A good boy that one," Mrs. Flynn smiled. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Rose's class going to the Smithsonian on Friday. Originally, we had enough parent's, but now two have called me to say that they couldn't make it anyway. I was going to call Mrs. Rabb about it, but then I saw you and I thought I'd just ask you."

Harm hesitated. "Sure, let me see if I can move some things around then get back to you."

"Great. Thank you, Mr. Rabb," Mrs. Flynn offered a sweet smile than turned to walk into school again.

Harm let out a groan. The last time he went to the Smithsonian two of the boys in Matthew's class managed to get away twice, then ended up knocking down a dinosaur.

Later that night

Harm finished drying off after his shower, then brushed his teeth and slipped on boxers before stepping out of the bathroom. He had been playing basketball after dinner and had just come home.

"You didn't tell me how it went in court?"

Mac looked up from the book she was reading. "The prosecution sure has a lot of witnesses."

"So you're thinking that they'll get a conviction?" he wondered.

"I haven't begun presenting my defense yet, and it's all circumstantial. They have no direct proof that our client was even outside the theatre the night of the shooting."

"But it was young Mr. Delaney's fingerprints on the gun, and he did have grudge against the victim," Harm pointed out.

"There were also many other fingerprints on that gun. One was a dead gang members. It could have been anyone from the gang he used to run with. Ron has cleaned up his act and broken it off with them. He's in school, he lives with his Dad who assured me that his kid wouldn't have done anything like this," Mac hesitated and pushed her glasses up on her nose. "I know, any parent would say the same."

Harm smiled and slumped down on the bed. "You'll get him off so that he can continue on his righteous path."

"Thanks for the confidence, honey," she put the book away and took off her glasses.

"Don't take them off," Harm said with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "You're hot with glasses."

She smiled as she put them away. "Yeah? Is that a fantasy you have?"

"Could be," he took her hand and kissed it. "Guess what?"

"What?" she lay down and turned to him.

"I'm going with Rose's class to the Smithsonian on Friday," he said.

Mac laughed softly. "Remember last time you were there?"

"We had the place closed down, I remember," he smiled. "But hey, if we end up losing someone I know how to handle it."

"You'll do fine," she reassured.

"Can we go back to you wearing your glasses now?" he wondered suggestively.

"What kinda fantasy is it you have anyway? Hot librarian?" she asked and reached for her glasses.

He wiggled his eyebrows. "I was thinking hot wife with glasses," he said and leaned in and kissed her.

"I thought you were tired after basketball?" she giggled when he found her ticklish spot behind her ear.

"I think I can manage some extra activity," he said between kisses. "We need to lose the nightshirt."

She laughed softly and pulled him closer.


	6. Chapter 6

Friday January 20th

Harm took a shot and the ball went through the net. He truly enjoyed these nights at the gym with his buddies. Tonight they were playing against the cops, which always meant a lot of fun banter. They ended the game with pizza and beer at the usual place. It was something Harm enjoyed and always made a priority to attend.

"How's it going Harm?"

He turned. "Not bad," Harm said and offered his hand. "And you?"

Detective Rick Potter smiled and shook Harm's hand. "You know, I can honestly say that life is good."

"Yeah? I heard about your divorce," Harm said.

"It's finally over, and now I'm free again. You know Harm, in the end she criticized the way I backed out of the driveway," Rick laughed.

Harm smiled. "Sounds like you're happy it's over."

"Oh yes, eight years of hell. Thank God we never had any kids together," Rick chuckled. "So, how are you doing?"

"Okay, the family is doing good. We got a new addition, a nine-year-old girl. We're very focused on that at the moment, but everyone is doing great. Someone is trying to get your attention I think," Harm pointed in the direction of the entrance where a blonde woman was standing waving her hand at them.

"Ah, yes," Rick waved back. "We met before the divorce was final, so we've been keeping it quiet," he explained. "It's nice with a change, huh?"

"I guess, if it makes you happy. I better warm up," Harm excused himself.

It was a little into the game when Mac walked into the hall and found a seat on the tribune. She hadn't originally planned to come, but Claire had plans to stay home so she suggested that Mac went to see Harm play. Mac had decided that a night out of the house wouldn't be so bad.

During halftime, she walked over to let Harm know that she was there. "Hi honey."

He turned and smiled. "Mac?"

"I thought I'd surprise you," she kissed him softly.

"That's great. Do you have time for pizza after also?" he wondered.

"Sure, that sounds fun," she smiled and kissed him again. "You look good out there by the way."

"Yeah?" he got a wicked gleam in his eyes. "You know, those jeans are working for you."

She winked at him, then walked away.

Harm's team won by a few points, the men went to the showers and Mac waited by the exit for her husband. It was nice being out, just the two of them. It had been busy before Christmas, and especially after, so this was wonderful. Having time alone as a couple was a constant struggle, especially since they led busy lives and the kids deserved most of their time. Now with Rose coming into their lives, the kids were more important than ever, making sure that she found her place, and that Claire and Matthew didn't feel like Rose was taking up all their time.

"Hi, Mac."

Mac turned and smiled. "Hi Audrey."

"I didn't see you in there, but I didn't make it until after halftime," Audrey said.

"How are you guys, I haven't seen you in such a long time," Mac said. Audrey was married to one of Harm's teammates and one of his most trusted senior officers when he was the JAG.

"We're doing okay. It's been a struggle since Owen decided to stay in the service. We had a deal that he'd retire, and get a civilian job, but he was offered that position at the Pentagon so he wouldn't retire after all," Audrey shrugged. "The struggles of being a Navy wife."

"He's on a great career path, Audrey, and you didn't have to relocate at least," Mac reminded her.

Audrey smiled. "I know. And Owen looks so much up to Harm, and when Harm told him that he had a chance at becoming JAG one day, well, let's just say that Owen believed him."

"He's definitely JAG material," Mac assured her.

"There you are," Harm walked over. "Hi Audrey."

"Hi Harm," Audrey smiled. "Did my husband finish in the shower."

"He was right behind me," Harm put his hand on Mac's back. "Ready to go?"

"Are you guys coming?" Mac asked Audrey.

"We'll see you guys there," Audrey said.

"Great," Mac smiled and followed her husband. "It's nice being out just us."

"Very," he stopped as they reached their car. "How did you get here?"

"Mattie gave me a lift. She was at the house doing laundry. Her washing machine went a little nuts and she's waiting on a new one," Mac leaned in and kissed him softly. "I'm glad I decided to come."

"Me too," he kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled. "More each day."

"I must be doing something right," he teased as he opened the car door for her.

"Must be," she laughed and got in.

It was past 2300 when they entered their house. Harm locked the door behind them and followed his wife into the living room. Claire was on the couch watching a movie and she looked up and smiled when she saw them.

"Hi, did you guys have a nice night?" she asked.

"We did," Mac said. "How did it go here?"

"Matthew went to sleep after about a hundred 'Can I stay up a little bit more?' And of course using his charming smile and pleading eyes. You should have been more careful creating him with that smile and those eyes, there's just no way to say no to him," she complained.

Harm chuckled. "And Rose?"

"She's an angel," Claire assured.

"Just wait until she's getting more comfortable here, we'll see a different side of her once she feels safe," Mac warned as she bent down and kissed her daughter's head. "Good night precious."

"Good night, Mom," Claire said and smiled.

"Thanks for taking care of the kids," Harm hugged her. "Good night."

He followed Mac upstairs and they looked in on the sleeping kids. Harm took Mac's hand and led her to their bedroom.

"I'm beat," he complained.

She smiled and let go of his hand. "Are you saying that you're getting too old for basketball?" she teased.

He started removing his clothes. "Not at all, in fact, take those clothes off and I'll show you how young I can be."

Mac laughed softly. "Oh, I don't doubt your ability for a second."

He moved in and swept her off her feet, landing her on the bed, making her squeal in delight. "You are so beautiful."

"And you are amazing," she kissed him softly.

The weekend went by in a hurry. With everyone's plans there wasn't much time as a family. On Sunday night Mac found the time to talk to Rose about her interests and what she would like to do as afternoon activities. She had noticed that the girl seemed very fascinated at Claire's piano recital on Saturday afternoon and she wondered if Rose maybe would like to learn to play an instrument.

"I can do that?" Rose's eyes widened. "I have never played piano before."

"We have an instructor coming over twice a week to train with Claire, I can ask him if he can fit you in too, at least one of the days," Mac suggested.

"I think I would like that," Rose smiled.

"What about other interests? Sports maybe?" Mac wondered.

"I like my books," Rose hesitated. "I like dogs and horses."

"Claire used to ride up until a few years ago. I can talk to her old instructor if we can set up something at her stable, maybe once a week. Did you ever ride before?" Mac wondered.

"Once, grandma took me. I think I would like to learn how to ride," she was eager now. "Can I really?"

"Sure, I'll make the call tomorrow," Mac promised.

Harm entered the kitchen. "Dinner is served," he put the take-away bags on the counter.

"Great," Mac stood. "Rose, you better put away your pencils and drawings."

"Okay," Rose stood too. "Harm, I'm going to take riding lessons."

Harm smiled. "Really?"

"Rose likes horses, and dogs," Mac looked clever. "Didn't we talk about getting a dog?"

"We did, but you said no because we were too busy," he reminded her.

"But we're both retired from the Military now, and our schedules aren't that busy, and Matthew is growing up and can take on more responsibility. And Rose will too," Mac looked over to Rose.

"I can walk it," Rose said eagerly.

Harm hesitated. "Okay, I'm sure a dog would be okay."

"I'll talk to Gina tomorrow, she mentioned that they get in dogs who needs homes all the time," Mac said. Gina was their neighbor and a veterinarian.

"A stray dog?" Harm didn't look convinced.

"Not just strays, but dogs that need new homes for different reasons," Mac clarified.

"Because they are crazy and dangerous," Harm suggested.

Mac laughed. "Because their owners can't take care of them anymore. I'm not getting a dangerous dog."

Harm chuckled. "Good to know. Rose, will you let Claire and Matthew know that dinner is here."

"I can do that," Rose gathered her things and left the kitchen.

Mac studied her husband with amusement. "Crazy and dangerous?"

"I was thinking we'd have a puppy," he suggested.

"We'll see," she kissed his cheek. "What did you bring?" she opened a bag and started taking out the content.


	7. Chapter 7

Monday January 23rd

Harm slowed down to a walk as he neared their driveway. He hadn't had time to work out during the weekend because they had been busy with Matthew and Claire's activities and events, so he had decided to get up early and go for a run. He saw their neighbor across the street, Jim, wave and smile with his morning newspaper. Harm lifted his hand in a greeting and Jim crossed the road.

"Good morning, Harm," Jim said.

"Morning," Harm stopped and smiled. Jim was a nice guy, they didn't have all that much in common, except for their love for their 68 Corvettes.

"I guess you heard that Shelly left me," Jim said.

Harm shook his head. "No, when?"

"Last week," Jim slumped his shoulders in defeat. "It came as a surprise to tell you the truth. I thought we were happy," he shrugged. "Anyway, I seem to be in the need of a good lawyer."

"Anything you need, Jim," Harm assured him. "Call my office and make an appointment."

"I will do that," Jim hesitated. "I'm suspecting an affair, and I'll be damned if that woman screws me over and take half my money and the kids."

"We better make sure she doesn't. Although, I'm sure Shelly will be reasonable," Harm reassured.

"It's just the way she did it," Jim complained. "Blaming me for her not finishing her education. Leaving school to raise the kids was her idea. I've always done everything to make her happy, and now she blames me for ruining her life. It's a bit of a shock to tell you the truth."

"I can understand that," Harm started moving again. "I better stretch and get in the shower. Don't want to catch pneumonia in this cold."

Jim nodded. "I'll make that appointment."

Mac was just stepping out of the shower when Harm walked into their bathroom. He whistled when he saw her, and laughed when she rolled her eyes and wrapped a towel around her body.

"Don't cover up for me," he said as he started undressing.

"We don't have the time," she smiled and wrapped a towel around her hair. "How was your run?"

"It was great," he finished undressing and stepped into the shower. "I talked to Jim. Did you know about the divorce?"

"Kelly told me when we were at the ice rink on Saturday. Apparently Shelley has been having an affair," Mac found the blow-dryer and removed the towel around her hair.

"That sucks," Harm said as he found the soap. "I had no idea they were having problems. They sure seemed happy the last time we had them over for dinner."

"I don't think Jim knew about the affair until someone mentioned seeing her with someone else," Mac pointed out.

"Pretty stupid starting an affair with someone," Harm finished washing off the soap then turned the water off. "Hand me the towel, please?"

Mac found a towel from the closet and handed it to him. "According to Kelly, Shelly have been unhappy for a long time. She gave up a lot to stay home with the kids. She was halfway through college when they married, then had a baby soon after that. I'm not saying that it's an excuse, but they have been married for a long time."

"Marriage is forever," Harm said matter of factually.

"Even if you're unhappy?" Mac questioned as she started blow-drying her hair.

Harm finished drying and slipped boxers on. "I guess not, but at least end one thing before starting something new."

"I agree," Mac smiled as Harm stepped up behind her and looked in the mirror. "I need a haircut."

"You're not in the Navy anymore," she reminded him.

"I don't want to look like a bum," he said with a chuckle. "Besides, you like it short."

"I do," she finished with the blow-drier and turned it off.

"Jim asked me to handle the divorce," Harm said as he walked out of the bathroom.

Mac finished applying her make-up and fixing her hair before she walked out of the bathroom. Harm was dressed in his suit, busy typing on his phone. "I have a busy day in court, can you take the kids?"

He nodded absentmindedly. "Sure. I'll handle dinner too."

"You're such a good husband," she said teasingly as she dropped her towel and started dressing.

Harm looked up when the bedroom door opened and Matthew barged in. "What's for breakfast?" he wondered.

Mac smiled. "We're running late, so cereal."

"I can make oatmeal," Harm suggested.

Mac finished dressing. "I have to go, Dad's taking you to school. Be good today."

Matthew flashed her a bright smile. "I'm always good."

Mac smiled and hugged him. "You are, most of the time."

"Do I get a goodbye?" Harm wondered.

Mac stepped closer to him and kissed him softly. "You be good too."

Harm laughed softly. "I'm always good," he pulled her in for another kiss. "You be careful on the icy roads."

"You too," she smiled. "And remember that Rose needs her gym bag."

"Yes, ma'am," Harm said.

Harm didn't like to admit it, but after his talk with Jim he had been wondering about what Jim had said about the divorce coming as a surprise. He had been under the impression that they were happy. What bothered Harm about it was that he had always seen Jim and Shelly as a very happy couple. They always seemed in tune and obviously very caring about each other. How did two people know if the other was happy or not?

"Harm? Harm?"

He looked up. "What?"

Jennifer smiled. "I have that deposition for you," she handed it over and saw that Harm looked confused. "For the Himmler case."

"Of course, thanks Jenn," he took the file. "Aren't you in court with Mac today?"

"I am, but she needed some notes that she left so I volunteered to get them," she smiled. "I'm on my way back now."

"Okay," Harm stood. "I better get going. I have a meeting."

"Bud wanted me to remind you that it was changed. Mr. Dimple couldn't make it so it was postponed until tomorrow," Jenn reminded him.

"That's right," Harm hesitated. "Jenn, tell me something, how can you know that someone is truly happy in a marriage?"

Jenn looked confused. "I'm not sure I understand."

"A neighbor is getting divorced. His wife's choice. Anyway, he swears he didn't know that she was unhappy," Harm said with wonder. "How could he not notice?"

"Maybe he didn't notice because he was taking her for granted," Jennifer suggested. "It's easy to do, I feel like I take Victor for granted all the time and I have to remind myself to take the time to say how much I appreciate him."

Harm nodded. "I guess you're right. We do tend to take people for granted."

"How long had they been married?" Jennifer wondered.

"They got together in College, and he's a couple of years older than me, so a long time," Harm smiled. "But my Mom and Frank has been married for forty years and they are really happy."

"Some people just belong together," Jennifer smiled. "I like to think that Victor and I will be happy when we're eighty."

Harm nodded. "Yeah. You know, Mom and Frank still hold hands when they walk."

"That's really sweet," Jennifer agreed. "I better go."

"And I better get some work done," Harm said and sat down. He reached for his phone and sent Mac a text that he loved her. He didn't want to take her for granted.

Mac found the house quiet when she arrived home that afternoon. She knew that Matthew had hockey and that they probably weren't home yet. She heard music as she entered the living room and found her daughter by the dining table, along with her classmate Vera and her friend/boyfriend Tim.

"Hi guys," she greeted them.

"Hi, Mom," Claire smiled and stood to help with the groceries. "How was court?"

"Hopefully the prosecution will rest soon so that I can begin presenting my case," she handed a grocery bag over to her daughter. "How's the project?"

"Okay," Claire followed her mother to the kitchen. "Vera is a bit lazy," she whispered. "We're getting there."

"I see Tim is here," Mac smiled teasingly.

"We're just friends," Claire said and started emptying the bag.

"Okay," Mac hesitated. "Did I forget the pasta?"

Claire held it up. "Nope."

"Good," Mac smiled. "I sent your Dad a message that I would take care of dinner. I want to make a dish I found online. Your Dad always find these great new dishes, and I wanted to try something new too. Can't let him be the only one who can be adventurous."

"I'm sure you'll do great. I better get back to work," Claire smiled teasingly. "You and Dad have the coolest relationship. All the teasing and bantering, but also so much love. That's what I want."

Mac thought about it, then smiled lovingly. "It is pretty great."

Claire laughed. "Have fun with dinner."

It was an hour later when Harm walked into the kitchen with flowers, followed by Matthew and Rose.

"Hi guys. Dinner will be ready soon," Mac said glancing up from her phone. "Just checking some things in the recipe."

Harm walked over and looked at what was cooking. "It smells great," he complimented.

Mac smiled brightly as he handed her the flowers. "Thank you. What are these for?"

"Just because I appreciate you," he leaned in and kissed her. "And because I love you."

"I love you too," she said and hugged him close. They are beautiful."

"So, when's dinner?" Matthew wondered.

"When you have set the table," Mac said.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I, Mom?" Matthew said with laughter. "Rose, want to help?"

"What do I get in return?" Rose wondered.

"Food," Matthew said with an eyeroll.

Harm and Mac shared amused looks. "I better put these in water," Mac said.


	8. Chapter 8

Tuesday January 24th

Mac picked up the kids from school and drove to the dog shelter where Gina, their neighbor and a veterinarian, would meet them. Mac hadn't had a dog since Jingo, and she had in the end let him stay with Chloe so that he could live the last years of his life at her grandmother's farm. He had a great time until one morning he didn't get up as usual and he'd died during the night. She had thought about having a dog several times after, but her busy life made her rethink the whole idea.

"Sarah," Gina smiled as she met them. "It's nice to see you Rose, and Matthew."

"It is so great that you have time to meet with us," Mac said.

"We're always happy to meet with potential adoptive families," Gina motioned for them to follow her. "All the dogs here have either been caught on the streets, or their owners have brought them here. Some of them are too sick, so we put them down. The dogs that are healthy and that we find trainable, and who doesn't have potentially dangerous behavior, we keep and try to find them good homes."

"There are so many," Rose said as they walked into a large room with cages everywhere.

"I'm afraid there's a lot of people buying dogs then get tired of them and leave them," Gina explained. "Now, this is Max. I thought of him when you mentioned having a Golden Retriever before."

"He's so cute," Rose said.

Gina opened the cage and Max came to meet them. "He came in last month because his owner passed away. He's three and he's very calm. I brought Tina here a few times and she's been walking him on her own." Tina was Gina's eight-year-old daughter. "He's so sweet and loving."

Mac sat down and Max started licking her face. "Hey buddy. You're a real charmer aren't you."

"We can take him out back and you guys can spend some time with him," Gina said.

They were all madly in love with Max by the time they brought him back to the cage. "Mom, can we please adopt him?" Matthew pleaded.

Mac nodded. "If it's okay with Gina, we sure can."

"That's wonderful," Gina said and patted Max's head. "We usually come for a home visit before we let someone adopt, but in your case, that's unnecessary. You can come by tomorrow and pick him up. I'll have all his papers ready by then."

Harm finished in the shower and brushed his teeth. He had been at the gym and had just gotten home. He looked in the mirror and decided that his diet and the work he had laid down at the gym had done what he intended. He felt that he had been slacking off with his work out over the last year and he had gained a few pounds. He had started to panic a little and gone back to a strict workout routine and diet.

Mac was already in bed when he walked out of the bathroom, and was busy reading a book. He walked over and got into bed. "So, we're getting a dog then?"

She nodded, but kept reading. He sat closer to her and put his arm around her, peaking at the book she was reading. Apparently, a crime novel, he thought as he read a few lines. She finished the chapter and put the bookmark in place before closing it.

"Yes, we're getting a dog," she confirmed and put the book away.

"Okay then," he kissed her cheek and let her go before snuggling into bed, yawning widely.

She removed her reading glasses and lay down as well, putting her hand on his chest, caressing him softly. "You've been going at it with your work-out lately."

"I guess," he said.

"Don't overdo it, you're not as young as you used to be, remember? I'd like to keep you around," she added the last part as she moved into his embrace.

"I just want to get rid of a few pounds," he mumbled tiredly.

"You look great," she reassured. "Besides, I don't care about a few extra pounds. You are so handsome."

"Yeah?" he smiled and pulled her closer.

She nodded. "Oh yeah."

"Good to know," he kissed her head.

After work and school the next day, Mac, Matthew and Rose went to get their new family member. They had bought what they needed for him the day before, and also a cage for the SUV for him to be in when they had him in the car. Max seemed to enjoy his new home, he took a round around the house with Rose and Matthew before he found a spot by the fireplace and lay down. Mac smiled as Rose sat down by his side and rubbed his head, and Max crawled closer and put his head in Rose's lap. Maybe this was exactly what Rose needed.

"Honey, I'm home."

Mac smiled as Harm walked into the kitchen. "Hey there," she finished sprinkling cheese on top of the lasagna and put it in the oven.

"I was thinking that maybe we could drive out to Beallsville this weekend," he said as he started setting the table.

Mac nodded. "Yeah, that's a great idea. Rose haven't been there yet."

"I was originally thinking that we'd leave the kids behind, but then I figured that it was a little early to leave Rose," he said as he walked up behind her and kissed her cheek. "It's been a long time since we had a weekend just us."

"It has been," she agreed as she watched him reach for the plates and walk over to the table. "But I agree that at the moment we should focus on the kids."

He smiled. "I figured you'd say that."

"Yeah?" she smiled teasingly.

He offered an amused look. "Yeah."

"Did Jim come to see you today?" she wondered.

"He did," he walked over to her and sat down on a bar stool by the kitchen isle. "He's a mess."

Mac sat down as well. "Claire mentioned that Louisa has been quiet at school lately. She dropped Glee club too." Louisa was Shelley and Jim's youngest daughter, the same age as Claire.

"It can't be easy," Harm said thoughtfully. "Jim wants to keep the house and have custody of the kids. Or at least Louisa, since Timothy is over eighteen. I advised him to sit down and talk to Louisa, give her a chance to say what she wanted. And I suggested that he didn't put her in the middle, and that he not say anything bad about Shelley to the kids."

Mac smiled. "You're a vice man Harmon Rabb Junior."

"You think so?" he smiled teasingly.

"I do," she took his hand. "Is there something on your mind Harm?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It feels like there's something on your mind," she squeezed his hand softly. "Maybe because people around us are splitting up."

"I don't know," he hesitated. "It's just something Jim said about thinking that they were happy until Shelley suddenly dropped a bomb on him."

"But we're not them," Mac reasoned.

"I know that," he smiled. "It's just been on my mind I guess."

"You know I love you, right?" she ran her fingers through his hair softly.

"I know, and I think I would know if you weren't happy," he leaned in and kissed her softly. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too, and I am happy."

"Good," he smiled. "I'm happy too," he kissed her again.

"Do you guys ever stop?"

They broke apart and turned to Claire. "Nope," Harm said.

"Max is super cute," Claire said as she headed for the fridge, opened it and reached for a water bottle. "When's dinner? I have some things I need to finish before school tomorrow, and I'm totally behind on rehearsing on the piano. Mrs. Minkovski will get that scary look on her face when she hears me play tomorrow." Claire walked past them. "I'll be up half the night studying for the history test. Let me know when there's food."

Mac and Harm shared an amused look. "Someone could really use a weekend away to relax," Mac said.

"Yup," Harm agreed as he put his arms around her and pulled her close.

The next morning Harm was enjoying his coffee when Claire strode past him in a hurry, a book in one hand, grabbing some dry toast with the other.

"Did this belong to anyone?" she said as she strode past him again on her way out of the kitchen.

"Claire!" Harm stood and walked after her. "What's the rush?"

"Meeting Tim before school to quiz each other in history," she said as she chewed on the toast.

"Hold on a second," Harm said and disappeared into the kitchen. He found a yoghurt from the fridge and an apple, grabbed a bottle of water and walked back to her. "You have to take the time to take care of yourself."

Claire smiled thankfully. "It's just one of those weeks, Dad."

"Well, this weekend you're joining us in Beallsville, and you're relaxing and having fun, not studying," Harm hugged her. "Drive carefully."

Mac walked down the stairs from the second floor. "That goes from me too, sweetie."

"I promise," Claire said and hugged her Mom too. "Love you guys," she said as she turned to leave.

"Love you," Harm and Mac both said.

Harm leaned in and kissed her. "Good morning. You were up early."

"Yeah, I felt energic, so I went for a run," she smiled and headed for the kitchen. "Matthew and Rose will be down soon. Max is following Rose around wherever she goes."

Harm smiled as he sat down to finish breakfast. "She seems happy, doesn't she?"

Mac joined him by the table. "Yeah, more so every day."

Harm took her hand. "And I have to say that getting a dog was a good idea. Rose seems to truly enjoy having Max around."

"I agree," she leaned in and kissed him softly. "I'm looking forward to Beallsville this weekend."

"Me too. I was thinking that it's time we clean out Grams room," he said and sipped his coffee thoughtfully. "We should repaint and use it as an extra guest bedroom. Hopefully someday, we need room for grandkids too."

Mac smiled. "You're thinking about that?"

"Yeah, I do think about it sometimes, although it will probably be years before that happens. Mattie isn't dating at the moment," he smiled. "But it's a nice thought."

"It sure is," Mac agreed.


	9. Chapter 9

Friday

Mac said good night to Matthew and walked across the hall to Rose's room. Max was on the bed by her feet and Rose was reading a book for him. Mac noticed that Rose's reading had gotten a lot better since she came to live with them and she was happy to see that Rose read out loud to Max.

"Do you think you can sleep tonight?" she asked.

"Yes, I like this room," Rose said and smiled shyly. "You are really lucky to have this place too."

"It's a really nice place," Mac agreed. "We spend a lot of time here." She bent down and hugged Rose. "And now we're glad to share it with you," she patted Max's head. "And with Max."

"Thank you for letting Max move in with us," Rose smiled. "And me."

Mac sat down on the bed. "I'm happy we had the chance to get to know you, Rose, and that we were able to give you a home. You've become an important part of our family."

"And Max?" Rose asked.

Mac smiled. "And Max," she reached out and gave Rose a hug. "Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night, Sarah," Rose said and snuggled down under the covers.

Mac stood and found an extra blanket from the chair by the bed. "It gets cold at night," she put it over Rose. "Just come knocking if you need something. We're going to bed in an hour or two, before that we're just downstairs."

Rose nodded.

Mac headed downstairs and heard Harm playing his guitar in the library. She headed for the living room and found Claire in front of the TV. Mac walked over and sat down beside her, taking the blanket covering her daughter's legs and putting half of it over her own legs. "I like this movie."

"I haven't seen this one before," Claire said and offered popcorn to her Mom.

Mac took some. "Thank you."

As the movie neared the end Harm joined them. "What are we watching?"

"Runaway bride," Mac said and smiled when he sat down beside her and put his arms around her.

"I see it ends in happily ever after this time as well," he kissed her head.

"Isn't that the point of a movie?" Claire asked. "It wouldn't be any point in watching if it ended in disaster."

"I guess you're right," Harm agreed.

Claire reached for her computer, that lay on the table, and stood. "I better go to bed."

"With your computer?" Mac asked teasingly.

"Just have some things to check," Claire smiled. "Thank God for Wi-Fi."

"Don't stay up all night. Remember, you're here to rest," Harm reminded her.

"Yes, sir," Claire said and reached for some papers laying on the table. "This is my English essay," she handed it to her mother.

"You got an A," Mac smiled proudly.

"I did. In the beginning I thought Miss. Flanders had lost her mind giving us such a tacky assignment, but when I started on it I kinda understood why she wanted us to write it." Claire smiled. "You should read it."

Mac nodded. "I will."

"Good night," Claire said and left them.

"Read it to me," Harm said.

"My hero," Mac started as she got comfortable in his arms. "When I first read the assignment, I thought that this would be an impossible task. I pictured a cheesy essay listing all the good deeds of someone feeding hungry babies in Africa, or someone trying to save the world from humanity. That is what most people see in a hero, someone going the extra mile to make the world a better place. I think so too, although I have recently realized that the reason why the world is sometimes such a horrible place is because not everyone has good people around them. Someone to encourage them to make good decisions, someone who does nothing but love them even when they have made bad decisions. I think that if every child who grew up had the safe and loving family that I have, the world would be an amazing place for everyone. That is why this essay will be about someone who loves me and who has thought me to believe in myself. Most importantly someone who has thought me that even when life is at its darkest there is a reason to keep going, because there is always a light in the end of the dark tunnel. The essay could just as well have been about either of my dad's, the one who died when I was five, or the one who decided to give my brother and me a home when we were all alone. This essay however, will be about my Mom. Not the one who left me when I was two and never came back because she did not want me, but the one who decided to love me even though I was not really hers. This is the woman that I aspire to become. I know my Mom did not grow up in a safe and loving home, like I do. I know she was scared when her Dad was drinking and angry and abusive. Even though she grew up like that it did not stop her from becoming the amazing person she is today."

Mac continued to read even though she had to wipe away tears along the way and her heart was swelling with love and awe. Claire had written about her accomplishments, but that the reason she looked so much up to her and wanted to be like her was because even though she was successful she always had so much love to give to the people around her.

"You would think that there came a time for love to empty, but it does not. Instead it grows and there is more love for even more people. We recently got a new family member, a new sister. Someone who was in real need of having loving people in her life, and in our family we all have a lot of love to give because we have learned from our Mom and Dad."

"Wow," Harm said when Mac finished reading.

"I don't have words," Mac said and wiped her eyes.

"She's right," Harm smiled.

"How did she know all those things about my career?" Mac wondered.

"Come to think about it, she has been asking me a lot about that lately," he looked thoughtful. "She never mentioned that this is what she was up to though."

"I'm a mess," Mac complained as she again wiped her eyes.

Harm smiled and cupped her face. "You are beautiful," he leaned in and kissed her softly.

"I better go talk to Claire," Mac hugged him close. "Save the spot for me," she requested as she started to stand.

"I always have a spot for you by my side," he smiled warmly.

Mac offered a loving smile, then went upstairs to see her daughter. She knocked on Claire's bedroom door. "Come in."

She opened the door and found Claire on her bed with her computer. "Honey, that was… How did you… When did you… I have no words!" Mac walked over and hugged her daughter close. "Thank you."

Claire smiled and put away her computer. "Mom, I think I'm the one who should be thankful. Anyway, I wasn't supposed to let you read it, but my teacher said that I should let you. I meant everything I wrote."

"Well," Mac cupped her face. "You are amazing, and I love you so much."

"I love you too, Mom," Claire hugged her again. "And one day I'll grow up to be just like you."

Mac smiled and kissed her head. "Good night sweetie. And say hi to Tim for me."

Claire blushed. "How did you know that I was chatting with him?"

Mac stood. "I didn't until now."

"Very clever," Claire let out a sigh. "Mom, how do I do this? I mean, Tim is great, and he's become my best friend, but what if we get together and it doesn't work out?"

"It's a difficult question," Mac hesitated. "What does Tim say?"

"That he's not so sure moving beyond friendship is a good idea because he's afraid of losing me. We are young. I'm pretty sure that the guy I date now is not the guy I'll end up marrying," Claire reasoned.

"Probably not, but some people get together young and stay together forever," she pointed out.

"You got married young and that didn't last," Claire pointed out.

"Yeah, don't compare yourself to me," Mac sat back down. "When I met Chris, I was looking for someone to get me away from my Dad. I was so tired of having him talk me down every time he was drunk, and that was often. Chris was handsome, and older than me. He told me I was pretty, and he made me feel good. He wasn't good for me though, he had a temper and he was jealous. Half of the time I was scared of him, not because he ever hurt me, but when he was angry the scared little girl inside me appeared. I have good memories of our time together though. He made sure I went to school every day," Mac smiled by the memory. "And he was sweet and loving most of the time, and he made me feel like I was special. He went to jail and I finished High School. After Uncle Matt cleaned me up and got me into the Marines, I never looked back."

"Have you loved anyone like you love Dad?" Claire wondered.

Mac shook her head and she got a dreamy look on her face. "Never. He makes me crazy in all the right ways, even after eleven and a half years of marriage."

Claire smiled and let out a sigh. "I hope I get to feel that way sometime."

Mac reached for her hand. "I hope so too."

"Thank you for telling me this," Claire said.

"Any time," Mac hugged her. "Good night."

"Good night," Claire smiled and snuggled into her pillow.

Mac found her husband in the same spot as she left him, flipping through cannels. He smiled when she appeared and opened his arms as she sat down.

"Did you find anything to watch," she asked as she snuggled into his arms.

"Nah, and I'm too tired to engage in something now," he kissed her forehead, then rested his cheek on it. "This is life."

"This?" she questioned.

"Sitting like this, knowing that the kids are safe and happy, being together as a family," he smiled. "It's what it's all about."

"That's very deep, Harmon," she teased.

He chuckled and lifted his head to look at her. "I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled and kissed him.


	10. Chapter 10

Saturday

It was after ten when Harm and Mac had showered and went downstairs. It was the nice thing about the kids growing up and becoming more independent, they didn't have to get up with them, and could instead indulge in a little extra morning activity.

"Good morning," Mac said as she walked into the kitchen and found the kids sitting around the table. Max lay on the floor by Rose's feet.

"It's about time you got up," Claire teased.

"Have you been up long?" Mac wondered as she fixed herself a cup of coffee. "Thank you for making coffee."

"No problem. And I didn't get up until about an hour ago," Claire said as she put a plate with pancakes on the table.

"Did you guys get up early?" Mac asked Matthew and Rose.

"Eight," Matthew said and moved his cheek away from his mother's kiss. "No kissing, Mom. I'm not a baby."

Mac ruffled his hair and hugged him instead. "You'll always be my baby." She hugged Rose too. "How did you sleep?"

"Really well. Max woke me up this morning, because he wanted to go outside," Rose smiled.

"Okay everyone, breakfast is served," Claire said as she sat down.

"It looks great," Mac smiled as she sat down.

"Where's Dad?" Matthew wondered.

"He'll be down shortly. He needed a shower," Mac explained just as Harm walked into the kitchen.

"Morning," he smiled and joined them by the table. "Something smells great."

"Someone is chipper this morning," Claire commented.

"It's a good day to be alive," Harm said and reached for a pancake. "So, what are the plans for today?"

"Can I borrow the car? Lena wanted to meet." Lena was a friend of Claire that lived in Beallsville.

"Sure," Harm said.

"We better get started with Grams room," Mac said to her husband.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Can Rose and I go see if Phil and his sister is home?" Matthew wondered. Phil was a boy Matthew's age living at the next farm over.

"Sure," Mac agreed.

"Can we take Max too?" Rose asked.

Mac nodded. "Just keep his leash on."

After cleaning up the kitchen Mac found her husband in Grams room. He was standing by her bed, smiling and holding a picture frame in his hand. He was so preoccupied, he didn't even notice her presence.

"Nice picture?"

He turned to her. "Yeah," he walked over and handed it to her.

"Is this what she kept on her nightstand?" Mac smiled by the memory of the day the picture was taken. Grams had demanded a family picture of them, so she lined them up on the porch and tried to figure out the camera they had gotten her for Christmas, but hadn't touched since then. Matthew was just two months old, his first trip home from London.

"The kids got impatient when she was struggling to figure out the camera," Harm laughed softly. "It's a nice picture of us."

"It is," she let out a sigh. "The kids are really growing up, huh?"

He put his arm on the small of her back and caressed it softly. "And now we have a new addition to the family. Grams would love what we're doing."

"She would have welcomed Rose with open arms," Mac looked around the room. "How's the cleaning going?"

Harm hesitated. "Slowly," he walked over to the nightstand and picked up a stack of letters. "I found these," he handed it over to Mac.

"Letters?" she questioned.

"She saved all the letters I wrote her through the years," he smiled. "The first one's are from I was about six. My spelling isn't all that great," he joked.

"When did you stop writing her?" Mac wondered as she looked through the big stack.

"I wrote when I was at Annapolis, flight school, whenever I was out at sea or stationed some place where it was hard to visit on the weekends. And I wrote her while we were stationed in London, and Florida." he took the stack from her. "We better get started."

"Can I read them?" Mac asked pleadingly.

"Yes, but not now," he pointed to the closet. "You clean out the clothes, and I will start with shelves. I'll just put the books in the library."

"Make sure you put them in alphabetical order by category," Mac reminded him.

He laughed. "Yes, I wouldn't want to mess with yours or Grams system."

She laughed softly, then opened the closet door. "What do you want to do with the clothes?"

"What's not too worn we donate, the rest we throw away," Harm said as he reached for a blue book with no title on. He opened it and found Grams writing. "Memories," he read out loud.

Mac turned from the closet and looked at him. "What's in it?"

"Pictures, writing," he flipped through it. "Paper clippings. A lot about me," he closed it and put it on top of the letter stack. "For later."

Mac turned back to the closet. "Why didn't Grams use the master bedroom upstairs?"

"My great grandparents lived here with them when they first married, and she refused to kick them out of their room upstairs. She and Grandpa decided on the bedroom downstairs because it would give them more privacy," Harm explained.

Mac nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

"Grams loved having the library next to her bedroom, because she could use it as her own private study. No one else used it much, so it felt like she had her own part of the house," Harm continued and looked like he had spaced out. "She moved here from the next town over, thinking that she'd live happily ever after with the man of her dreams. She lost a husband, and then a son. No wonder she was disappointed when I chose the Navy."

"I didn't know that she was disappointed," Mac said.

Harm snapped out of his thoughts. "She was. Mom too. They were both happy when I couldn't fly anymore because of my eyes. My Mom was not happy when I joined an active squadron again."

"A lot of people weren't happy about that," she reminded him.

He smiled. "I know."

It took them most of the day to sort through Grams things, then they discussed what to do with the room and decided to repaint and remove the carpeted floor. Harm decided to see if the carpet hid the same quality parquet as the upstairs bedrooms had and he smiled when he noticed that it did.

"It will make a nice guestroom," Mac said as they prepared dinner that night.

"I think so too. We can keep the bed and bedroom furniture, but the mattresses need to be exchanged. The painting will be a nice winter project for me," he smiled and stopped steering the sauce, taking a hold of her hand and pulling her close. "Did the kids get lost on their way home?"

"I just think they had a hard time leaving. Linda said that Rose and Penny were getting along really well. And Matthew and Phil had been helping Drew on the farm all day, having their own little projects," Mac smiled.

Harm leaned in and kissed her softly just as Claire walked into the kitchen. "Really? Guys!"

Harm released his wife. "Sorry," he said innocently.

"Old people shouldn't be so affectionate," Claire pointed out as she walked over to see what was cooking.

"Old people?" Harm questioned with amusement.

Claire laughed. "Okay, ancient then."

"Yeah, that's much better," he rolled his eyes just as he heard the front door open and shut.

Mac chuckled and went to meet Matthew and Rose. "We had the best time," Rose said happily.

"That's great Rose," Mac hugged her, then her son. "Dinner is ready."

"Mom, can we go over tomorrow too?" Matthew wondered as they walked to the kitchen.

"We're driving back home tomorrow," Mac reminded him. "But maybe for a little while."

Later that night Harm found his wife on their bed engrossed in the letters from him to his grandma. He noticed the temperature in the room and went to shut off the electric oven so they wouldn't melt during the night. He went to the bathroom and got ready for the night, before he joined her on the bed.

"Almost done?" he wondered.

"Almost," she answered absentminded.

He took the pile of letters and put them on the nightstand, just as she finished the last letter. He watched as she put it away then reached for her hand and pulled her close.

"That was very insightful," she relaxed against him, running her hand down his chest.

"How so?" he wondered.

"I got a glimpse of you before we met, and it was nice to hear your words to her about some of our adventures. Your crush on Diane, the struggles of your Navy career, meeting me," she smiled. "It's all so insightful."

He kissed her forehead. "It's nothing you didn't know before, right?"

"I guess, but non-the less, it was nice to read. Thank you for letting me read private letters," she said shyly. "It meant a lot to me."

He hesitated then reached into his nightstand and retrieved another letter. "I put this away," he handed it to her. "But you can read it."

"Why did you hide it?" she wondered and checked the date of the letters. "Oh, it's after Paraguay."

He nodded.

"Harm, if you don't want me to…"

"No, you should read the letter," he smiled. "You should."

She hesitated. "Okay," she opened it and folded it out. "Dear Grams. I'm sorry that I haven't been to visit in a while, it's been busy. Thanks for the letter. I know you prefer me writing instead of calling so here goes. I have some news. I'm not in the Navy anymore. I would have told you in person, but I got a new job as a CIA pilot and I can't make it out there in a while. Don't worry, it's just regular planes with important people, nothing dangerous."

Harm noticed the look Mac was giving him. "Like I would tell Grams about how dangerous it was."

Mac turned her focus to the letter again. "Anyway, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and I'll tell you when I make it out there. In short terms, I resigned my commission to travel to Paraguay to look for Mac. She got into some trouble on a CIA mission. It was interesting, but we both made it back home alive. And I know what you're thinking, but I'm sorry to disappoint you, I didn't tell her that I love her. I made a mess out of things instead. I'll try to make it out next month and you can give me that look and shake your head in disapproval. Love, Harm."

Mac folded the letter and put it back in the envelope and gave it to him. "Did she shake her head and give you that look?"

He nodded. "She sure did. Grams always had a way of making me talk about the things I didn't want to talk about. We talked a lot about you over the years."

"I'm glad we're done making things complicated," she smiled and put her head on his shoulder, hugging him close.

"Me too," he agreed and pulled her close. I love you."

She lifted her head to look at him. "I love you too."

He smiled. "Look at this," he reached for the book he'd found in Gram's room earlier in the day and opened it up to a page.

Mac smiled when she saw a clipping from the Washington post, a picture of Harm and her and the title; Dream Team. "From the Kohler case."

"Yeah, we got him off on the charges and the Washington Post wrote a big article about the case," Harm remembered. "It was a good day to be a JAG."

"Yeah," she agreed and looked at what Gram's had written by the picture of the two of them. "If they'd only see what I know."

"She wanted so much to see me happy, and letting go," Harm put the book away.

She put her hand on his cheek. "You did eventually."

He kissed her deeply. "And you know what?"

"What?" she asked.

"The reporter who wrote that article was right," he smiled. "We are a dream team."

Mac smiled lovingly. "We sure are."


	11. Chapter 11

Mac woke up early the next day. Harm was still sound asleep, so she got out of bed and got dressed. The previous day had been emotional for them, with first cleaning out Gram's room, then reading the letters and talking about their past. They had been good at not letting their past come between them, even though it had great potential to, but they had agreed that it had been good to remember a time when things were much more complicated for them. It made their life in the present that much more special.

Mac could hear piano playing as she descended the stairs. She followed the sound to the library and found Claire by the piano, Matthew was in the seat by the window reading a book, while Rose and Max lay on the floor, Rose was on her stomach reading a book, while Max was by her side, resting his head on her back.

Mac smiled as she took a mental picture of the scene before her. It was moments like this that she wanted to remember.

Claire ended the song. "Morning."

"Good morning," Mac walked over and hugged her. "Beautiful."

"We haven't gotten around to any breakfast yet," Claire said just as Matthew came walking over.

"Morning," Mac hugged him, then waited until Rose stood and hugged her too. "Are you enjoying your time here, Rose?"

"I love it here," Rose smiled shyly.

"How about some breakfast," Mac suggested.

"Mom," Claire reached for Grams old photo album on top of the piano. "I was telling Rose about Grams and the family living her. But do you remember Grams telling us about this picture?"

Mac looked at the picture Claire was referring to. "Yeah, that was the only picture Grams had with her Mom."

"I was telling Rose about it because I remember Grams showing it to me and Nathan, telling us about how she had to go live with strangers after her Mom died," Claire said.

"She did. She never knew her Dad, or who he was. It was just her and her Mom, then her Mom died and she went to live at an orphanage for a while until a couple came to get her and took her to their farm," Mac turned the page. "This is Grams with her new parent's."

"She was so beautiful," Claire said.

Mac nodded. "Both on the outside and the inside."

"Claire says that Nathan and she also aren't really yours," Rose said just as Harm walked into the library.

"I'm the only one who's really theirs," Matthew said and smiled. "But we're all a family, right Mom?"

"That's right, honey," Mac ruffled his hair.

"Mom and Dad adopted us," Claire explained to Rose.

"We sure did," Harm walked up to his wife and kissed her. "Good morning."

"Morning," Mac smiled. "Claire has been telling Rose about Grams."

"She was lucky to find a loving home, just like me, Nathan, Mattie and now Rose," Claire smiled brightly. "It's something to be grateful for."

"We are grateful too," Mac said and took Harm's hand.

"We truly are blessed," Harm agreed.

"Does that mean that I get to be with you forever?" Rose asked shyly.

Harm and Mac shared a loving smile, then looked at her. "Yes, it does."

Max barked.

They all laughed. "And you too of course," Mac sat down and scratched him behind the ear. "You are such a good friend to Rose."

"The best friend," Rose said with a bright smile.

Later

They ate breakfast, then Matthew, Rose and Max went outside to play in the snow. Claire was by the kitchen table looking through pictures and old albums. Mac joined her by the table.

"Harm senior and Harm junior looks almost exactly the same," Claire said and held up a picture of Harm's Dad.

"Yeah, although your Dad is taller, Grams said," Mac held up another picture. "I love this one."

"Is that Dad when he was a kid?" Claire reached for the picture. "And that's grandma."

"Matthew looks just like him, except from the eyes," Mac said.

"Yeah, they are all you," Claire put the picture down and reached for a more resent album and opened it. "Your wedding pictures. You look so amazing, Mom."

Mac smiled. "It was a nice day."

"I wish I had your looks," Claire said as she flipped the page.

"You are beautiful," Mac said and held up a picture of a very young Claire. "Look at this, you were so little."

"And look at baby Matthew," Claire pointed to a picture in the album she was looking through.

Mac smiled. "That was an amazing day. He was fresh out of the womb there. Your Dad took the picture while we were waiting on the ambulance. He sent it to Gram's on her email and called her from the hospital and asked her to check it. She hated computers, but when she saw the picture she understood why technology could be an amazing thing. Harm had a bunch of pictured developed and sent them to her."

"I can't believe Dad delivered him," Claire said with laughter.

Mac laughed too. "His plan was to stay by the head."

"What's so funny?"

They both turned to him standing in the doorway. "Baby Matthew," Mac said and held up that first picture of them.

"That was an interesting day," Harm said as he reached for the album. "Everyone said that first time labor would take hours, and of course the Marine here has to prove everyone wrong."

"We like to get things done effectively," Mac pointed out. "No point in dragging things out."

"You don't say," Harm handed the album back to Claire. "It was an amazing experience," he bent down and kissed Mac softly. "I love you."

She smiled lovingly. "I love you too."

"And your wedding picture, Dad," Claire held the album for him to see.

"I have a beautiful wife," he said and flashed Mac a sweet smile.

Claire smiled. "I love looking at old pictures. So many good memories. Like this," she held up the album. "Nathan and I were helping Grams make dinner."

Harm and Mac both laughed. "So cute," Mac said.

"Grams really let us try and fail. She really didn't care about getting a messy kitchen," Claire said with laughter.

"That's how I learned too," Harm said as he reached for a picture in the pile on the table. "Me and my Dad. The Christmas before he died."

"You were a very cute kid, Dad," Claire smiled and picked up another picture. "How old were you here?"

"Two maybe," Harm said and reached for the picture. "I was cute."

"Yeah, what happened?" Claire teased.

Mac laughed softly. "He's still cute."

"Thank you, honey," Harm put the pictures down on the table. "We should put all the lose pictures into albums too."

"I will buy more and we'll do it the next time we're here," Mac promised as she stood. "I better start packing."

"Me too," Claire said and started gathering the pictures. "I'm glad I decided to come with you, because this weekend has been great."

Harm smiled. "I agree."

Two hours later they were all packed and they had enjoyed lunch. It was time to leave and go back to the city. Harm took one last look around the house, making sure everything was secured, before he locked the door and walked over to the car.

"Time to head home then," he said as he got into the car.

Mac took his hand. "We'll be back soon."

Harm smiled and drove off.

This is the last part of this story. However, I have already started on the next story in the series and will post soon.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.


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